LRT disruptions could last until Tuesday

LRT service in Ottawa remains partially disrupted and full service could be offline until Tuesday, according to officials.

OC Transpo started to move trains between Hurdman and Lees stations Sunday afternoon, more than 72 hours after two trains became stuck in a freezing rainstorm, causing disruptions on the Confederation Line. So far, only two of the four stuck trains have been moved off the line.

One of the immobilized trains moving between Lees and Hurdman #ottnews pic.twitter.com/0b7yK5eRV5

— Josh Pringle (@PringleJosh) January 8, 2023

Trains have been stuck in the area of Hurdman Station since Wednesday night. An attempt to clear ice on Friday resulted in damage to the overhead catenary system that powers the train (the OCS) and a train that was sent to remove one of the other stuck trains on Saturday damaged the wires again, causing it to also become stuck.

In a media availability Sunday evening, transit services GM Renée Amilcar said disruptions to full service would continue Monday and might continue into Tuesday as well.

The service plan on Monday will include running trains between Blair and Tremblay stations in the east end and between Tunney's Pasture and uOttawa stations in the west end.

Director of transit service delivery and rail operations Troy Charter said OC Transpo expects to have trains available every five minutes on each loop.

R1 service will run from Blair to Rideau stations, to give transit riders in the east end the option to take the bus all the way downtown instead of disembarking the LRT at Tremblay and continuing by bus to Rideau from there. Charter says they hope to have an R1 bus available roughly every 10 minutes. Amilcar said she hopes the parallel service will help to alleviate congestion as people return to work and school after the holidays. The R1 will not stop at Cyrville station, a media release from the city said. Customers will have to transfer at St. Laurent or Blair.

Adding R1 capacity will affect other parts of the bus network, officials said. Amilcar told reporters staff are working to minimize service disruptions and cancellations for bus customers elsewhere in the city.

Rideau Transit Maintenance (RTM) CEO Mario Guerra said crews had cleared one track and removed two stuck trains. Work will continue Monday to de-ice, repair, inspect and clear the second track where two other trains remain immobilized. 

Crews work to repair the overhead catenary system on the Confederation Line where a train became immobilized. Jan. 8, 2023. (Josh Pringle/CTV News Ottawa)

Experts from RTM, Alstom--the train manufacturer--and the city of Ottawa, including oversight experts from STV who were brought in this weekend to provide additional expertise, will meet Monday to discuss and understand exactly what happened. The group will first evaluate whether the overhead catenary system is safe for a resumption of full service, which will be required before the full length of the line reopens. 

Next, the experts will look at what lessons can be learned from this event, and what mitigating measures can be put in place to prevent a repeat of what happened on Wednesday, when the trains first became stuck.

The root cause of exactly why the trains were first immobilized is still being investigated, but Guerra said the freezing rain incident may have caught them by surprise.

"I don't think there's anything catastrophic, it probably caught us a bit by surprise how quickly it happened. We don't believe there's any issues with the system and that's why our focus is going to be on preemptive actions," he said.

Guerra said the team would be looking at ways to help prevent ice buildup before a freezing rain event moves into the city, including technology that could help, as well as better de-icing strategies.

Amilcar noted that it was only a small section of the line where the incident happened, and that trains have been running without issue in the established loops in the west and east ends all weekend.

However, she acknowledged the frustration that riders have experienced since Wednesday night and will continue to experience Monday and possibly Tuesday.

OC Transpo says it will be providing regular updates on its website, social media channels, and through text alerts to subscribers. Red-vested OC Transpo staff will be at all LRT stations during peak periods and signage will direct customers to the R1 service.

Jocelyne Turner, OC Transpo's communications director, also said staff would be on hand to answer questions from riders on social media during their commute.